What if you knew that some murder victims' family members feel they can only gain closure through an execution?

On March 16, 2000, Darrell Keith Rich was put to death. Rich had been convicted of a rape and murder binge that left four women dead and five others sexually assaulted. Eighteen victims and relatives of the victims arrived at San Quentin State Prison, but only six actually witnessed the execution. Others said it was too painful for them to attend.

A state director who helped guide the victims through the execution process said that they experienced great relief after it was over. The district attorney said that none expressed regret at having witnessed the procedure. "Every one of them, to a person, said they just felt a great weight off their shoulders," he said. "Every one of them was glad that they had gone."

In what is perhaps the most celebrated execution in U.S. history, Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh was executed on closed-circuit television in front of 232 survivors and victims.

Members of the victims' families expressed strong emotions afterward.

Peggy Broxterman, whose son, Paul, was killed in the attack, stated, "It is over and it is done. I do have sympathy for his family. I think it is a terrible thing what he did to his family and the name McVeigh."

Kay Fulton, a victim's sister, described watching McVeigh's execution as a "sense of a great weight being lifted off of my shoulders."